You are here

Ten Years Ago a Tech Gadget Changed the World

It’s hard to believe it has been ten years since Apple introduced the iPhone to the world. Today, June 29, Apple celebrates the tenth anniversary of making the iPhone available to consumers. Who knew this super-hyped, newfangled gadget (once nicknamed the jPhone short for “Jesus phone” due to its would-be miraculous reputation) would change the world? Steve Jobs first described it as a “breakthrough internet communications device” among other things.

Because of robust broadband networks, this game-changing technology has impacted hundreds of millions of people across the globe, changing the way we communicate, learn, play and work. Here are a few ways that the iPhone - synonymous with “smartphone” - has transformed our lives and influenced the world around us:

The internet is now in everyone’s pocket.

Photography is pretty awesome - there will be 1.2 trillion digital photos taken this year, and 85 percent will be taken by a cell phone.

There’s an app for that. Easily downloadable software allows us to access music, get a date, handle banking transactions, locate a restaurant, shop, and so much more.

The television and film industry has been revolutionized - allowing us to watch videos right in the palm of our hands, fueling the growth of such platform giants as Youtube, Netflix and Hulu.

Social media platforms rule - Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram have catapulted to the fore of social connections.

The telecom industry has responded with unprecedented investments in broadband networks to meet consumer demand and shifting focus from voice, to digital voice, to 4G and now emerging 5G technologies. In just ten short years our internet experience has been transformed – one can only begin to imagine what’s on the horizon in the next ten years!